SOS Médias Burundi

Nyanza, July 30, 2025 – Two women from Nyanza district were found dead after being chased, according to witnesses, by three Imbonerakure charged with guarding a protected forest. The alleged attackers are on the run.

On Tuesday, July 29, 2025, the lifeless bodies of Georgette Nishimwe and Jeanine Nyabenda were discovered in a ravine located in the Rubungu natural forest, in Nyamugari village. This is in the Gitara zone, Nyanza district, in Burunga province, southern Burundi.

According to testimonies collected from their families and confirmed by the local administration, the two women had left the previous day, Monday, in search of firewood. It was in this forest where they were allegedly pursued by environmental protection officers. The victims then slipped and fell to their deaths in a ravine.

Three men are cited as having pursued the women : Luc Ndikumana, Éric Ndayikeza, and Jean Claude Hasharizimana. All three are identified as members of the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the ruling CNDD-FDD party, and are active in monitoring the region’s natural forests.

The suspects are currently at large, according to local authorities.

Two hillside residents, known by the nicknames Nyangoma and Tereka, initially arrested two of the three alleged perpetrators. However, they were released shortly afterward, a decision deemed suspicious. The two men who carried out the release were transferred to the Mabanda police station for questioning.

The Gitara zone chief, Serges Nibayubahe, confirmed that investigations are underway to shed light on the circumstances of this tragedy.

Bodies transferred for autopsy

The remains of the two women were transferred to the Musenyi health center, also in the Gitara zone, for a medical examination to determine the precise cause of their deaths.

Was a wood shortage the cause of the tragedy?

This tragedy highlights a structural problem in several districts in the south of the country, notably Burunga, Nyanza, and Makamba : the scarcity of firewood. In some villages, four bundles of wood sell for up to 2,000 BIF, a price considered exorbitant by local populations already living in precarious situations.

This situation pushes many people, especially women, to venture into protected forests despite the bans, risking violent prosecution, as in this tragic case.

Voices are rising against impunity

Anger is palpable in the region. Several residents denounce the impunity enjoyed by members of the Imbonerakure, often cited in cases of violence or intimidation without any legal action being taken.

« It’s unacceptable that people die for looking for firewood to cook. And those who caused their deaths are released. We want truth and justice, » says a Nyamugari resident, who requested anonymity.